


a waiting game

by annamorris



Series: to view without judgement [4]
Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, viola needs to ease up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annamorris/pseuds/annamorris
Summary: Dani is so very tired, and the beast is closing in.Prompt-fill from Tumblr: "Are you high?" -- "I'm just so fucking tired."
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Series: to view without judgement [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023837
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	a waiting game

**Author's Note:**

> Very much not beta'd and written after surgery, so all mistakes are definitely my own.

The stairway to their little Vermont flat isn’t extraordinarily pleasant. The paint on the walls is peeling and the steps are uneven, so Jamie often spends the entirety of the walk up watching her boot-clad feet to avoid injury. But, Dani, damn her, she’d fallen in love with the old building and it’s high ceilings the moment they’d stepped inside, babbling on about the natural light and kitchen island. Jamie had cared about these things, too, of course, but she had allowed herself to be swept up in Dani’s excitement. And who was Jamie to deny true love?

Tonight, though, Jamie wanders in a bit later than she’d like after a seemingly simple grocery run sent her to three different stores on the hunt for the particular brand of chewing gum she knows Dani likes. She’s been trying, more so than usual, if that’s possible, to make things as easy for Dani as she can. 

The beast in the jungle is closing in, as Dani had put it, tears in her eyes and a world-weary droop to her shoulders. Jamie had held her close, a hand running gently through blonde hair streaked with grey, murmuring sweet nothings she wasn’t sure Dani could hear through the fog. Jamie swore to be there until the end.

She enters the building and reaches the second stair before she smells it, and the distinct scent only grows stronger as she shifts the grocery bags to one arm near the top. Fumbling a little with the key in the lock, Jamie pushes open their door and sets her purchases on the floor. 

“Dani, love?” She calls, coming around the corner to see the woman on the sofa with a small roll clasped between delicate fingers. Dani’s gaze is unfocused, and she sits with her legs tucked up beneath her. Jamie drops her keyring in the bowl near the entryway. “Dani?” She tries again and receives no response. “Poppins, are you high?” There’s a playful smile in her voice, but her words are tinged with underlying concern. 

Dani rarely smokes, a habit she’d picked up from Jamie herself, who’s always felt a little guilty imparting her less-than-savory relaxation tactic. The first time Dani had stolen the joint from Jamie, the gardener had let out a surprised “Oi!” as Dani had inhaled with a smug grin. They’d been sitting on the balcony of their motel room, somewhere in American South, Jamie thinks, Dani with a book and Jamie content to take in the view. Of what she hadn’t been certain, but there had sure been an awful lot of nothing to look at. 

She hadn’t thought much of it, really, just a little boredom. Jamie had rolled herself a smoke, and next she knew, Dani was coughing and they both were laughing. 

“Hey!” Dani had spluttered between gasps. 

Jamie had put the joint out in the ashtray. “Always burns a bit ‘till you get used to it.” She had tried to cover her amused smirk, but had most certainly failed if Dani’s pathetic pout was anything to go by. 

After that night, they’d taken to sharing a joint every now and then. Always together, though, never alone. 

Coming home to find Dani by herself, a recently extinguished joint in her hand, causes Jamie’s pulse to quicken. 

“Dani,” Jamie says again, kneeling in front of her wife and setting a gentle hand on her thigh. 

At last, Dani looks to Jamie. Her eyes are distant, confused. 

When she finally speaks, her words are slow, like she’s speaking through a mouthful of cotton. “I’m just so fucking tired.” Her voice breaks on the final syllable, and a single tear streaks down an elegant cheekbone. 

Jamie’s heart fractures. She holds herself together, but only just. “The Lady?” 

Dani nods, glancing to the side and shifting away from Jamie’s touch. Her lips tighten into a thin line. “I saw her again.”

Jamie holds still. Dani will elaborate if she chooses. 

“I… I was driving.”

Jamie’s breath catches. 

“I was coming up to the intersection near the pharmacy? You know, the one with the light that’s just a little too long?”

Jamie moves to sit beside her, but she doesn’t reach out. Not yet. 

“She - I thought she was a pedestrian. I slammed on the brakes and swerved away and I almost hit the car next to me but I stopped in time.” Dani pauses to swipe at her cheeks. “She was gone the next second. Just a reflection in the windshield.”

“You’re okay, though, yeah?” 

Dani looks across the couch, jaw slightly agape, like she can’t quite believe the question. Jamie can hear the alternatives neither of them is willing to speak into existence. 

“I’m… I’m alright.”

_What if I swerved too far?_

_What if I hurt someone else?_

_What if I couldn’t come home to you?_

“That’s all that matters,” Jamie manages. “Maybe, ah, maybe we invest in a comfy pair of trainers for you, hm? Weather’s not bad this time of year. Great for walking.” 

Dani offers her a weak smile. 

“Been lookin’ for new ways to ‘go green’ anyway,” Jamie shrugs. She holds out her upturned hand for Dani to take. Dani studies it for a moment, then burrows herself into Jamie’s side, wrapping shaking arms around her waist. Jamie’s head comes to rest atop Dani’s like it’s the most natural thing in the world. And it is, at least, in the beautiful world they’ve built together. 

“We’ll get through this,” Jamie whispers. Her breath ruffles the hair that’s come loose from Dani’s ponytail. “It’s us.”

“It’s us,” Dani repeats sleepily. 

Jamie holds her tight, pressing a chaste kiss to her hairline. 

They’ll get through this.

**Author's Note:**

> [feel free to chat or send me a prompt on tumblr](https://moonflowerlesbians.tumblr.com)


End file.
